HAL unveils indigenous basic trainer aircraft HTT-40

The aircraft made its maiden flight recently the HAL Airport in Bengaluru in presence of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. It was flown by Group Captain C Subramaniam and Group Captain Venugopal for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Key facts

HTT-40 stands for Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40. It is two-seater aircraft designed and developed indigenously by the HAL.

The aircraft weighs about 2,800 kg and has Turbo Prop engine of 950 shp class.

It has indigenous content close to 80%. Almost 50% of the components on HTT-40 are manufactured by private players of the Indian aerospace manufacturers.

HTT-40 will be used for the first-stage training for all flying cadets of the three services. The programme aims to achieve its operational clearance by 2018.